Fertility clinics 'to be rated on chance of delivering a baby for first time'

Fertility clinics are to be rated on their chance of giving patients a baby
for the first time.

New statistics will give the “predicted chance” of the average patient having a child after undergoing treatment at that clinic.

The information, from the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), is intended to offer patients a more realistic idea than historical success rates, which can be artificially inflated by other factors, such as treating a small number of patients.

The change, on the authority’s website, comes as it was revealed that the chance of having a baby through fertility treatment continues to rise although there has been a drop in success rates among older women.

"It is only right that people have access to as much information as possible to help them make a choice about where they go for their treatment.”

However, the HFEA warned that it could only offer the prediction for the average patient and that every women who attended a fertility clinic would have different factors which would affect her chances of successfully becoming pregnant.

Around one in six couples have trouble conceiving and although many will go on to have a child naturally some will not.

The “predicted chance” on the revamped website, called "Choose a Fertility Clinic" will be presented first as a range and also as a specific “most likely” figure.

Historical success rates will still be available.

Officials said that the new statistics showed that the vast majority of clinics were “there or about” the national average.

The site will also include information on the age groups accepted for treatment, the specialist areas, screening and storage policies of each clinic.

However, there is no information on costs, which can vary according to the patient.

The new site was designed after "extensive consultation" with patients and fertility experts, said the HFEA.

Record numbers of women had treatment to help them have a child in 2007, new statistics from the authority reveal.

There were 13, 672 babies were born as a result of IVF and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), where the sperm is injected directly into the egg, in 2007 an increase of 8.5 per cent on the previous year.

In total fertility clinics treated 36,861 women, an increase of almost 6 per cent on 2006.

The figures show that overall success rates from the treatment continue to rise, to 23.7 per cent, up from 23.1 per cent in 2006.

For those aged under 35 the success rate was 32.3 per cent, up from 31 per cent the previous year.

However, there was a slight fall in success rates among older women than 42.

Just 3.4 per cent of women aged between 43 and 44 were successful, a fall from 4.6 per cent the previous year, and just 3.1 per cent of women aged over 44, down from 4 per cent in 2006.

But the authority, which regulates fertility clinics across Britain, cautioned that the fall could just be a temporary blip, caused by dealing with small numbers of women a year.